THE SOUL AND THE SPIRIT

" For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Heb 4:12)

THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN the soul and the spirit cannot be satisfactorily made in the realm of academics. Often the words are used in very similar ways. "But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" (Lk 12:20). "But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul" (Heb 10:39). "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matt 26:41). "And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat" (Lk 8:55).

IN EACH OF THE CASES, the point being made is that man is more than what we see. There is a part of us that transcends the bodily senses. That unseen part, when separated from the body, inducts death. As it is written, "For as the body without the spirit is dead . . . " (James 2:26). Sometimes that unseen part, separated from the body at death, is called the "soul" (Matt 10:28; Heb 6:19). Sometimes it is called the "spirit" (Job 32:8; Luke 23:46; John 6:63). In a poignant expression of Mary’s response to the news she would bear the Savior, Luke speaks of her inner person. He employs both "soul" and "spirit" in a Hebraism, using the words interchangeably. "And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior" (Luke 1:46-47).

THE SCRIPTURAL ACCOUNTS of the raising of two dead bodies will serve to again illustrate the general use of these words. When the mighty prophet Elijah raised the son of the widow of Zarephath, the "soul" was depicted as returning into the lad’s body. "And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived" (1 Kgs 17:21-22). When Jesus raised Jairus’ daughter to life, her "spirit" is said to have returned to her body. "And her spirit returned, and she rose immediately; and He gave orders for something to be given her to eat" (Luke 8:55). In both cases, the unseen part of the human constitution is meant. The words "soul" and "spirit" were not used in the technical sense, as they are elsewhere.

COME HIGHER! However, we are not confined to academics in matters pertaining to life and godliness! The Word of God is living and active. The Holy Spirt challenges us to rise higher in our consideration of humanity. Our unseen part is not simplistic, and we should not consider it to be so. The Word of God is the divinely appointed means of deciphering the total man. Paul prays that our sanctification will be complete, involving the "spirit, soul, and body" (1 Thess 5:23). The power of God’s Word also bears upon this matter. It can distinguish between the higher and lower natures within us, piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit" (Heb 4:12, NASB). If the "spirit" and the "soul" are synonymous – just two different words depicting the same thing – no such distinction could be made.

THE WORD "DIVIDE" does not mean to permanently separate, but to distinguish. The soulish part of our natures is not abandoned when we become "spiritual." Rather, it is brought into subordination to the Lord by faith and through the Holy Spirit. Although a number of self-acclaimed theologians say there is no distinction between the "soul" and the "spirit," the Word of God declares there IS a difference. Not only so, as it is proclaimed, it unveils the difference on a personal level.

TWO DIFFERENT WORDS are employed to describe these parts of the human nature. They are different words in the Hebrew (ruwach and nephesh), the Greek (pneuma and psuche), and the English (spirit and soul). Because these parts are unseen, it is difficult to make a distinction between them. Psychology cannot provide a clear distinction, either theoretical or practical.

SCRIPTURE EMPLOYS BOTH WORDS in the same context. A few examples will suffice. "But Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord, I am a woman oppressed in spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have poured out my soul before the LORD" (1 Sam 1:15). "Therefore, I will not restrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul" (Job 7:11). "At night my soul longs for Thee, Indeed, my spirit within me seeks Thee diligently" (Isa 26:9). "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess 5:23).

THESE ARE NOT redundant expressions. The unseen part of our persons consists of two parts. One is superior, the other inferior. One is inconsistent, the other consistent. The soul is the inferior, and the spirit is the superior. The spirit is born again, the soul vacillates between good and evil. The Holy Spirit testifies our spirit (Rom 8:16), we exhort our soul (Psa 42:5). Blessed is the person who knows the distinction between the two. Blessed is the person whose religion is spiritual instead of soulish. Such an individual subordinates feelings to the perception and power of faith. That person is closer to heaven than to earth, and is able to be touched more deeply, profoundly, and lastingly by the truth of God. Such a person is "spiritual" (1 Cor 2:15).

– Given O. Blakely